Madison Originals Magazine Madison Originals Magazine February 2012 | Page 29
MadisonOriginalsMagazine.com | 29 Park spurred rapid growth in the local
popularity of the public park idea, and
in the early 1900s, William F. Vilas and
Thomas E. Brittingham followed suit by
providing similar donations to create
public parks in their family names.8
Over time, some aspects of the park�s
original design shifted, including
the addition of playing elds, more
footbridges, and the Tenney Park Shelter.
The shelter, which was built in 1958 and
has been heavily used in the decades
since, was demolished a couple of years
ago to make way for a new community
space. It wasn�t the City that initiated
this process, however. Instead, the
design, fundraising, and public support
for the new construction has been a
labor of love for those who have long
been neighbors to, and frequenters of,
the park. Just ask Mary Lang Sollinger,
chair of the Tenney Park Shelter Group.
Initially, says Mary, �it was on the slates
for the City Parks Department to renovate
it. It was very heavily used, and it was
just one of the facilities that needed to
be updated or rebuilt. Also, the needs of the community were changing.� When the group started looking into it, they discovered a greater-than-expected demand for spaces to hold weddings, reunions, neighborhood meetings, and potlucks. �There was a real need for a community space. It made sense to build rather than just to duplicate By Erin Abler something that was there for the past
50, 60 years.�
Why did the shelter fall into disrepair?
�I�ve been living in this neighborhood
for 30 years,� Mary says, �and any
building over time shows its wear
and tear. The bathrooms were a tough Farm-to-table
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